Female Heads of State:

All photographed at the United Nations on September 23-26, 2010, with the exception of Chancellor Merkel, who was photographed in Berlin, and Prime Minister Radic'ova, who was photographed in Bratislava

They are, in no particular order, a grandmother of nine, a poet, a black belt in martial arts, a former student body vice president, a sociologist, an ex-schoolteacher and more. And they are, quite literally, the most powerful women on earth: the world's 18 current female presidents and prime ministers. That number has nearly doubled since 1990—and thank goodness, because female leaders are changing the course of history, not only for the half of the world that is female but for us all.

It's about time. Women are the globe's greatest underused resource. "Not so long ago, the prime ministers and presidents were almost all men," says United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. "Women have a fresh outlook on our most difficult problems, whether it's climate change or peace in the Middle East. This is a sea change."

Perhaps that's why a record number of women have landed the top job. Just last month Brazil (population 200 million) became the most recent large country to signal it was ready for female leadership when Dilma Rousseff captured the most votes in the presidential election. (At press time she was favored to win the October 31 runoff.) "In some countries we have had the right to vote for less than 100 years, so the entry of women into political leadership has caused a tsunami," says Iveta Radiová, prime minister of the Slovak Republic.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberia's "Iron Lady"—who survived imprisonment by political enemies to become, in 2005, the first woman elected president in Africa—agrees. "With more women heads of state, we will have a more peaceful and prosperous world based upon integrity, justice and equity," she says.

Why? Because even women at the top know what it's like to be a second-class citizen. "Unlike male leaders before me, I drew upon my experience as a South Asian woman, mother and daughter to promote human rights for all," says Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh. And after all, these leaders are uniquely great at handling the daily demands of caring for others. "Women are more focused on the quality of life in their countries," says President Dalia Grybauskait, called "the Hope of Lithuania." "They are more involved in family policies, child care and poverty reduction." They also tend to be more inclusive. "As a woman, my style defines my leadership. It's a gentler, more compassionate approach," says Kamla Persad-Bissessar, prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago. "I consult, I listen and I compromise where it's in the best interest of the citizens."

Despite this progress, sexism still abounds. "The media continued to ask feminine' instead of political' questions," says Jadranka Kosor, prime minister of Croatia. "When I became prime minister, the question that I had to answer most often was Are you afraid?'" (Hardly—Kosor has fearlessly battled government corruption, domestic violence and even gender stereotyping in school.)

"In working so hard to raise awareness of the shocking scale of the poverty, oppression and violence visited on the world's women, these female heads of state have issued a powerful cry for justice," Gordon Brown, former prime minister of the United Kingdom, tells Glamour. Thanks to them, he says, women's global empowerment "is not simply possible, but the great moral imperative of our time."

As of press time, there were 18 current female presidents and prime ministers. On October 31, Dilma Rousseff was elected President of Brazil. When she takes office in January 2011, there will be 19 female presidents and prime ministers.

The most powerful women on earth tell Glamour how they made it to the very top, and how they changed things once they got there.

Dalia Grybauskait

Q: As a woman leader, what have you been able to accomplish that men have not?

A: There is an English saying, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." Women often become these tough ones.

Traditionally, women have a lot of different roles in society. It is very difficult to balance all these roles and at the same time to compete with men. A leading, successful woman has to put in much bigger efforts to be more competent and faster, more dynamic and organized, than a successful man.

Myself, I never had ambition to become president of the state or to accomplish more than men. I was never afraid to work and always kept to my motto: "Any work you do, do it the best you can and achieve the maximum result." This motto followed me through all the activities I was involved in during my professional career as professor at university, diplomat, minister and the EU commissioner.

I ran for president because I wanted to help Lithuania and its people during a difficult time. My country was on the very edge of an economic crisis, and people were disappointed by the economic situation and the political elite. We all needed change and motivation to consolidate our efforts in order to overcome the difficulties. I saw many areas that required reforms, or at least improvement: to restore the people's trust in state authorities and the legal system, to fight corruption, to have more transparency and democracy in public and economic life, to protect the public interest from oligarchization of society.

During my election campaign I was not giving out empty promises, but invited every member of society to join the efforts to work for a better life in Lithuania. I am happy and proud that during one year of presidency, my initiatives have been strongly supported by the people and society and we have launched the process of vitally important state reforms.

I have learned from my own experience that if you work hard you will succeed. People trust those leaders who show real results of their work, rather than those who just talk about the results. I am a person of action. If I see I can bring a positive change, I will go for it, never mind that something might be hard to achieve. Hard work, courage and commitment—these are the key elements for success.

Q: As a woman, how have you been able to inspire and empower other women in your country?

A: Concrete examples of successful women and their stories of achievement are the best inspiration and [means of] empowerment for other women to seek the heights in their professional career and take a leading role in society.

The examples of female success stories are even more important on the global scale, as they help to disseminate the idea of gender equality and to spread the roots for the actual implementation of equal rights for women and men and democratic values among different cultures, societies and traditions.

I am happy that currently in Lithuania there are many strong, educated, active women in top positions in politics, in business and in the academic and artistic worlds, whose stories of success are perfect examples for other women on their path to achievement.

My advice and wish to every woman in my country and in the world is very simple: Do not be afraid to be yourself, to have your dream, your vision, and to go for it. We can achieve a lot if we are sincerely committed to our goals and work hard to realize them.

Q: What, if anything, makes a woman president different?

A: We do not have many women leaders in the world. But if you look at the current examples, most of those few female leaders that we have today lead their countries under the pressure of difficult political and economic circumstances. They all posses strong personalities and have real political influence on the domestic and international scene.

There are many examples of female leaders who are not afraid to take responsibility and openly face the challenges in the worst situations. During conflicts and tense situations, women often work in a more collaborative way, include a larger variety of viewpoints, and function more frequently outside traditional hierarchical means. Women leaders often take a consolidated and reconciliatory position in the society.

Women are more focused on the development of the quality of life in their countries. They are more involved in social and family policies, childcare, and poverty reduction. Female leaders are more oriented toward real and long-lasting results of their policies.

Q: What would the world be like if there were more women heads of state?

A: If there were more women heads of state in the world, the world would be more peaceful and better focused on the improvement of the overall quality of life and welfare.

Women always look for a peaceful solution to a conflict. They are more sensible when they go for compromise or when they stand by their position. They are ready to listen to different views, to hear all the voices in society. Women have more inner power for creation, starting from family and home and ending with professional activity and politics.

Q: Overall, has the world progressed in the past 20 years in the way it views women leaders?

A: I believe that the world has become more democratic and open. Women have become more outspoken, more active and competitive. They have achieved great accomplishments in many fields that were previously dominated by men.

If we take a look at women in the world political arena of today and that of some 40, 20 or 10 years ago, we will see that we had and we have many strong female politicians and vivid political personalities. The world has become more diversified, with women becoming a real power of change.

Iveta Radiová

Prime Minister of Slovakia

Q: As a woman leader, what have you been able to accomplish that men have not?

A: In professions where the criteria of professionalism, expertise, good manners and ethics apply, the gender aspect, i.e., whether a person is a man or woman, is not relevant at all. What is important is that citizens' confidence in politicians and the politics is strong enough to make politicians proud of their profession. As with other professions, there are politicians who make a positive contribution to the history books, there are politicians who serve as an admonition to future generations, and there are politicians who have gone completely unnoticed. Therefore, I hope that as a woman in the office of prime minister, that I will make it to the first category. In this respect, I wish to do it differently than those who have ended up in other categories.

Q: As a woman, how have you been able to inspire and empower other women in your country?

A: The precondition of success and entry to the top politics is primarily one's will—that is, making one's own decisions, because it means having to leave your home or move your family, quit social networking and build new contacts, [since] central governments are seated in capitals. At the same time, it involves a decision to basically give up one's privacy, to unite the usual division of one's activities into professional world, family and leisure under a single heading: the professional world. Those bits of free time and moments spent with the family are then extremely precious, yet they are no longer completely private. If women decide that their mission, their political career, balances out what they have to give up, they can be and are equally successful as men. This is not, however, the main temptation of the power for me, therefore I find it much harder to put up with this loss.

Q: What, if anything, makes a woman president or prime minister different?

A: The sole fact that you have asked this question means that it is something unusual, unexpected or surprising, something that draws attention; it means that it is not common or usual but remains atypical. I am a little sorry that attention is paid to the sole fact that these positions are held by women, rather than to the fact how they actually perform in these positions. On the other hand, I understand that for millennia this been the traditional domain of men—and a vigorous entry of women into politics has caused a tsunami. If we take into account that women have had the right to vote only for some 100 years—in some countries even less—and that we have already won seats in governments or presidential offices, I understand that men look at this rise with some anxiety.

Q: What would the world be like if there were more women heads of state?

A: A beautiful movie was made in Poland, an excellent science fiction comedy called The Sexmission, where the rule of women is taken to the extreme: All men were completely destroyed and not only in leading positions. The punch line is probably not surprising: The head of this brand new world is a man disguised as a woman…All extremes are harmful, including when this profession is performed solely by men. A rule applies: If you need to pursue your interests, do not expect anyone else to do it for you.

Q: Overall, has the world progressed in the past 20 years in the way it views women leaders?

A: The world underwent major changes in the twentieth century. In addition to the two cruel world wars, we are still facing serious military conflicts, threats of extremism and terrorism, new challenges in energy and climate, and, most recently, the second global economic crisis in less than 100 years. The question now stands: How do we manage our world? Are we really able to manage our world in a responsible manner, are we able to manage it without thinking in four-year election cycles, are we able to risk the loss of popularity for making unpopular short-term decisions that, however, bring long-term effects? Where is the borderline between politics and show business? Have we erased it completely? To be elected, we have to be popular; to be popular, we serve the citizens with solutions that often go against their fundamental interests. To be responsible politics is a great challenge, and the power of women is absolutely essential for this purpose.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Q: As a woman leader, what have you been able to accomplish that men have not?

A: I have led the way for moving women from traditional roles to strategic positions and inspired girls and women throughout Africa to seek leadership positions.

Q: Why did women voters so strongly support you?

A: After a lifetime of political activism and professional success nationally and internationally, women voters are clear that I represent their expectations and aspirations.

Q: As a woman, how have you been able to inspire and empower other women in your country?

A: Women hold strategic positions in the Cabinet and in other government bodies. I have established a market development fund supported by private donations to empower rural women through better working conditions and literacy training. A second fund, also from private donations, provides funding for the building of 50 schools, training of 500 teachers and scholarships for 5,000 girls throughout the country; girls and women have voices in claiming participation in societal endeavors.

Q: What, if anything, makes a woman president different?

A: Sensitivity to living conditions, particularly as regards women and children.

Q: What would the world be like if there were more women heads of state?

A: A more peaceful and prosperous world based on integrity, justice and equity.

Q: Overall, has the world progressed in the past 20 years in the way it views women leaders?

A: A resounding yes! In the majority of countries, discriminatory laws and social barriers to women's rights and participation have been removed. It is increasingly a world of gender equality, as demonstrated by the increased role of women in leadership positions in all areas throughout society.

Kamla Persad-Bissessar

Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago

Q: As a woman leader, what have you been able to accomplish that men have not?

A: Personally, I don't subscribe to that school of thought that leadership can be altogether defined by gender. Still, my administration, though quite young (we've been in office for four months), has made it our policy to listen to the voice of the people, be mindful of their needs. So now, where there was apathy and indifference, people see hope and optimism that their needs will be tended to because their government cares. From day one, my mantra has been—and will continue to be—that as a government we were there to serve the people, not the other way around.

As a woman, though, I think my style defines my leadership in that it's a gentler, more compassionate approach. Rather than tell people what's good for them, I consult, I listen and I compromise where it's in the best interest of the citizens.

Q: Why did women voters so strongly support you?

A: The men had been tried and tested for 48 years, yet there were still wide gaps in society, things that had not changed, issues that affected women but were never addressed. So I think women crossed party lines and supported me because they saw something and someone they could identify with —like a sister, a mother, someone they could dialogue with, someone they could trust, someone who would listen and understand to their concerns in a positive and meaningful way.

They had witnessed my struggle in politics, known me as a working mother trying keep the right balance, and in me they saw themselves, someone who understood and was ready to take up the challenge to make things better for them.

I had met with several women's groups and assured them that the issues affecting them were well known to me, as a woman in the male-dominated world of politics and law, and as a working mother and now quite proudly as a grandmother. I know the needs and plight of women. Toward that end, I put together a package specifically designed to address issues that face women in Trinidad and Tobago today.

I believe that if we look after our women, then they will look after our children, and that can only redound to a better society and future. I always remember your own Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, at a women's forum in Beijing, saying: "If women are healthy and educated, their families will flourish…and when families flourish, communities and nations will flourish." So true.

Q: As a woman, how have you been able to inspire and empower the other women in your country?

A: While I am a lawyer by profession and have travelled to several countries, working and educating myself, I came from a rural background in a Third World country at a time when women were told what their place was and whose mothers enjoyed even less. But it was my same mother, despite the limitations placed on women of her time by society, who insisted I be allowed to go abroad to study, in sturdy defiance of the male elders of the family, who protested and decided that I should be married off instead.

Now look at where I am today. If someone or something had not inspired my mother, where would I be now? Therefore, I hope that my story alone serves as some sort of inspiration to the women of my country, that there must be no barriers left and that where we came from must not determine how far we can go.

My climb to political success was no elevator ride, and it has not always been pretty, but I persevered as one of a handful of women in the male-dominated world of politics. Now I can make a great difference standing on the inside. I want to use my position of influence to change the laws of the land to the benefit of the women of Trinidad and Tobago, divide the economic pie more evenly and appoint more women to positions within the government.

Q: What, if anything, makes a woman president different?

A: The late Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir once said: "Whether women are better than men I cannot say, but I can say they are certainly no worse." Style of leadership may probably be where some difference comes in. You know that old joke: Men don't want to be confused by the facts when their minds are already made up. Women know the art of negotiation—just ask the mother of a four-year-old who refuses to eat his veggies or the parent of a teenager.

Q: What would the world be like if there were more women heads of state?

A: Well, we grew up at a time when the majority of heads of state has mainly been men. And we have to ask, how is the world today? If women were in the majority as world leaders, would there still be the rape of women as a spoil of war? What about female genital mutilation, the stoning of a woman and mother for alleged adultery, children being sold into slavery, prostitution? The proof of the pudding is always in the eating, so maybe 50 years from now a female leader somewhere may have the answer to this question. Who knows? She may be the fourth of fifth female U.S. president.

Q: Overall, has the world progressed in the past 20 years in the way it views women leaders?

A: Yes, I think so. The increased number of women in positions of influence over the years bears testimony to that. This achievement has been the result of the women who have gone before us.

The strides we've made are because of the work they did—doors previously closed are now open, and this is because of the foundation they laid. As I said before, to change things, you have to be on the inside, and women need to support each other to get that foot in the door.

In the U.S. alone, I believe women hold some 90-odd seats in Congress; Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton have created paths, in one way or another, for women to follow. Long before we dreamed it, there was the Queen of England as head of the Commonwealth, Indira Gandhi managed a complex and diverse country, and even in the Caribbean, Dame Eugenia Charles and others made us realize we can do the job, too. Their successes, and those of women leaders today, have contributed tremendously to the consensus that, if I can borrow from your President, "Yes, we can."